Elder Scrolls Online's Xbox Live Gold Requirement Being Fought

Bethesda is hoping to remove the requirement for The Elder Scrolls Online players to pay for Xbox Live Gold in addition to the game's subscription, the company has said.

Speaking with The Official Xbox Magazine during Gamescom, Bethesda PR and marketing boss Pete Hines said of the Xbox Live Gold requirement, "[W]e have been in talks with Microsoft about that very thing, and seeing whether or not there's any room to change their minds about that, for folks who are only playing The Elder Scrolls Online and don't want to pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription, just to pay for the Elder Scrolls Online."

Unfortunately, Microsoft's mind has yet to be changed. "The answer right now is that's the way it works, but it's something that we're aware of and we keep pushing on, to see if there's something that can be done," Hines said.

It's possible a similar conversation is taking place with Sony. Unlike certain Sony games, including Planetside 2 and DC Universe Online, The Elder Scrolls Online will, like all other PS4 games, require a PlayStation Plus subscription for online play. Bethesda confirmed the Plus requirement for the game with USgamer.

The $15 monthly subscription fee for The Elder Scrolls Online was announced last week. The game itself comes with a free month of gameplay, after which point players will need to subscribe in order to continue playing. This fee is present on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, although the PC version will be exempt from any additional charges -- at least until Sony and/or Microsoft decide to allow all console owners to play without a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live subscription.

In addition to the subscription, an in-game store will be present, according to a Buffed.de interview with ZeniMax Online boss Matt Firor. The store will be home not to stat-boosting items, but "fun" items, as well as services like character name changes.